Stokes’ return put back by hearing
BEN Stokes’s England return will be delayed once again after he was summoned to court on the same day he was expected to play for England in New Zealand.
Stokes and two other men, Ryan Hale and Ryan Ali, have been called to appear at Bristol Magistrates’ Court on February 13 to answer charges of affray following an incident in Bristol in the early hours of September 25.
England are due to play New Zealand in a Twenty20 match in Wellington on February 13, the first game for which Stokes was available for selection after the England and Wales Cricket Board lifted his suspension on Wednesday.
Now his return will be delayed, probably until the start of the oneday-international series in Hamilton on Februry 25 at the earliest. England may well opt to hold him back for longer, perhaps for when the twoTest series starts in Auckland on March 22.
Trevor Bayliss, the England coach, speaking before the court date was announced, indicated that Stokes would not walk straight back into a white-ball team who have plenty of depth already.
Before his arrest last year, Stokes was the most valuable player across all three formats. He will make a rapid return to the Test team, who are struggling for consistency, but in one-day cricket England are strong and letting him wait for a return would also send a message that he cannot take his international place for granted.
“It’s been one of the reasons that we have been successful in the oneday game because we have more than 11 blokes competing for 11 spots,” said Bayliss.
“In the Test team, we haven’t had more than 11 competing. That’s good for English cricket going forward when you have that pressure from within competing for spots. It’ll be a difficult decision.
“The other one is — is he up to speed and will he be right, in a good enough space from a playing point of view to make it back into the team having not played for so long?
“If we play well in these next four games and we win, it might be very, very difficult for him to come straight back in. In the last couple of years, you probably wouldn’t have been able to say that, but where this team have got to – this one-day team – is a great position to be in.”
The next decision for Bayliss is whether to retain Stokes as Test vicecaptain. He still faces charges from the ECB’s cricket discipline commission for professional negligence.
Stokes hurt his hand in the incident that led to his arrest and that injury would have put him out of England’s warm-up games in Australia before the first Ashes Test had he been able to travel, enough in itself to warrant being sacked as vicecaptain.
The ECB will have to provide extra security for Stokes if and when he leaves the hotel at night in New Zealand and closely monitor who is around him.
Bayliss believes the midnight curfew brought in on the Ashes tour has worked
“The last time I spoke to him, he certainly understands why [he was not picked for Australia],” said Bayliss.
“The rest of the other players understand why and over the last few months I think the players have learnt a bit of a lesson.”
Stokes was yesterday named in the International Cricket Council’s Test and ODI teams of 2017, one of only four players to make it into both sides, so, understandably, his England team-mates are thrilled he will be back, probably next month.
“I’m delighted for him and delighted for us as a side,” said Jos Buttler.
“I think anyone who has come across Ben will know that if there is ever a guy who will be able to manage these kind of things and come out of the other side of it very well, it is Ben.
“We’re a tight group of guys and a lot of us will have an arm round his shoulder, not that he will need it, but we’ll fully support him.”
Buttler believes Stokes has got the message about on-field and off-field behaviour.
“Definitely, as international cricketers we understand that we’re under a lot of scrutiny and media interest and public interest,” he said.
“It is down to individuals to be really aware of that and we have to be great ambassadors for our game. Everyone is very much aware of their responsibilities as an England cricketer.”
Bayliss added: “Happy he’s been made available, players and coaches are looking forward to seeing him. He’s raring to go, he’s a cricketer first and foremost and he just wants to be out on the field playing.” — The Daily